Controversial Florida prosecutors receives noose in the mail

ORLANDO, Fla. – An investigation is underway after a noose was mailed to the office of a Florida prosecutor who refuses to seek the death penalty in cases.

Orange County Sheriff's officials say the first letter arrived March 20 at the office of Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala.

The Orlando Sentinel (http://bit.ly/2pKm3gi ) reports a clerk saw a racist message scrawled on an envelope addressed to Ayala, who is Florida's first African-America state attorney. About a week later, the clerk found a second letter containing a noose made out of green twine and taped to a postcard.

The sheriff's office redacted the contents of both letters.

Gov. Rick Scott reassigned 23 of Ayala's capital murder cases after she announced her refusal to seek the death penalty. Ayala is suing Scott, claiming he can't remove her from the cases.